West Hackney

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West Hackney
Stoke newington west hackney almshouses 1.jpg
West Hackney Almshouses, Northwold Road
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West Hackney
Location within Greater London
OS grid reference TQ340865
  Charing Cross 4.3 mi (6.9 km)  SW
London borough
Ceremonial county Greater London
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town London
Postcode district E5
Postcode district N16
Dialling code 020
Police Metropolitan
Fire London
Ambulance London
UK Parliament
London Assembly
List of places
UK
England
London
51°33′36″N0°04′12″W / 51.560°N 0.070°W / 51.560; -0.070

West Hackney is a district in the London Borough of Hackney, situated on the eastern side of Ermine Street, the major Roman Road better known as the A10.

Contents

The area was part of the Ancient Parish and subsequent Metropolitan Borough of Hackney, but has come to be seen by many as an informal extension of Stoke Newington, as well as a sub-district of Hackney proper.

Rectory Road, the principal railway station, lies 4.3 miles (6.9 km) northeast of Charing Cross.

History

Early history

The part of Hackney included the hamlet of Newington – entirely distinct from Stoke Newington – which lay between the Roman Road (now known as the A10) and the Common. The hamlet has now been absorbed into the wider urbanised area.

Newington was first recorded in the 1200s and was traditionally one of four Hackney hamlets (together with Dalston, Kingsland and Shacklewell) which were together rated as having, for taxation purposes, the same number of houses as the main 'Hackney Village'. [1]

Chapel of ease

West Hackney Church, on the junction of Amhurst and Stoke Newington Roads Chapel of Ease, West Hackney - Shepherd, Metropolitan Improvements (1828), p340.jpg
West Hackney Church, on the junction of Amhurst and Stoke Newington Roads

The increasing population of the area saw it gain a chapel of ease in 1814, the church of St. James, designed by Robert Smirke in the Greek Doric style. [2] The 1825 creation of the ecclesiastical parish of West Hackney saw St James elevated to the status of parish church.

WWI - London's first air raid

The first bomb of the first air raid on London, a 190lb incendiary, fell on 16 Alkham Road on 31 May 1915. The German Army airship LZ 38 had begun the first assault on the capital by a foreign power since 1066. At that time William the Conqueror ravaged Southwark, then crossed the river upstream and ravaged much of the countryside around London in the days after that followed, with the area along Ermine Street (the A10) (including West Hackney) believed to have been badly affected. [3]

The householder, Albert Lovell, had just returned home from posting a letter. The bomb bounced off his chimney and went through his roof, starting a fire on the upper storey. Mr Lovell, his wife, children and houseguests managed to escape the building, but the raid killed seven, including four children, in other parts of London, outraging public opinion.

East London was at particular risk at this time, due to the Kaiser's order, later rescinded, that the raiders limit their attacks to targets east of the Tower of London. An attack by Captain Lanoe Hawker of the Royal Flying Corps destroyed LZ 38 on the ground, at its base in Belgium a week later, [4] but airship raids on London continued until 1917, with attacks from Gotha bombers in 1917-18. [5] [6]

Zeppelin LZ 38 was 164 metres long and had a crew of 18 Zeppelin LZ 38 near its hangar.jpg
Zeppelin LZ 38 was 164 metres long and had a crew of 18

WWII - Blitz

West Hackney church was destroyed by enemy action in September 1940, during The Blitz. The remains were cleared away and replaced by a modern building, rededicated to St Paul, in 1960.

Post-war

Jack ‘the Hat’ McVitie was killed at Evering Road by gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray. The murder was a significant factor in their subsequent downfall and imprisonment. [7] [8]

Administrative History

West Hackney has never been a civil administrative unit in its own right; it has always been an area of Hackney. Hackney was an administrative unit with consistent boundaries from the early Middle Ages to the creation of the larger modern borough in 1965. Hackney was based for many centuries on the Ancient Parish of Hackney. Parishes in Middlesex were grouped into Hundreds, with Hackney part of Ossulstone Hundred. Rapid Population growth around London saw the Hundred split into several 'Divisions' during the 1600s, with Hackney part of the Tower Division (aka Tower Hamlets). The Tower Division was noteworthy in that the men of the area owed military service to the Tower of London - and had done even before the creation of the Division. [9]

The Ancient Parishes provided a framework for both civil (administrative) and ecclesiastical (church) functions, but during the nineteenth century there was a divergence into distinct civil and ecclesiastical parish systems. In London the Ecclesiastical Parishes sub-divided to better serve the needs of a growing population, while the Civil Parishes continued to be based on the same Ancient Parish areas.

The ward of West Hackney, with the A10, Roman Ermine Street, used as the western boundary Hackney Met. B Ward Map 1916.svg
The ward of West Hackney, with the A10, Roman Ermine Street, used as the western boundary

Under the London Government Act 1899, Hackney became a Metropolitan Borough, with the same boundaries as the pre-existing Civil Parish, with minor rationalisations in places to reflect modern street patterns rather than historic field boundaries and other features. There was a West Hackney electoral ward within that Borough.

The Ecclesiastical Parish (EP) of West Hackney was formed as a sub-division of the Ancient Parish. It merged with the EP of Shacklewell (also a part of Hackney) in 1958 to form the EP of West Hackney St Barnabas. [10]

In 1965, Hackney merged with Shoreditch and Stoke Newington to form the new London Borough of Hackney.

Geography

Extent

There was formerly a West Hackney electoral ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Hackney, and there is an ecclesiastical parish of West Hackney, a sub-division of the wider Ancient Parish of Hackney. Both the ward and the ecclesiastical parish have used the A10 as the western boundary.

Despite these uses, it has never been an administrative unit in its own right, so lacks formal definition, except in that it has always taken Hackney's western boundary, the originally Roman A10 (in this area named Stoke Newington Road and Stoke Newington High Street - originally High Street, until a name change in 1937 [11] ) as its own western boundary.

The core of the area lies between the A10 and the railway, but the area as a whole arguably extends further to the north-east.

Open Spaces

The largest open space in the area is Stoke Newington Common at 2.15 hectares. Originally known as Cockhangar Green it took its current name in the twentieth century. [12]

West Hackney Recreation Ground is one hectare in extent and was originally the burial ground for St James's church (replaced, after bombing, by St Paul's church). [13]

Transport

West Hackney is served by two railway stations; Rectory Road and Stoke Newington, the latter lying on the ill-defined borders Stoke Newington, West Hackney and Stamford Hill.

Notable People

Marc Feld, better known as Marc Bolan was born at the Eastern Fever Hospital and for his first fifteen years lived in a house facing the common. He attended Northwold School in nearby Upper Clapton.

Plaque marking Marc Bolan's childhood home, at 25 Stoke Newington Common, Hackney. Marc bolan plaque.jpg
Plaque marking Marc Bolan's childhood home, at 25 Stoke Newington Common, Hackney.

Related Research Articles

Hackney may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Borough of Hackney</span> Borough in United Kingdom

The London Borough of Hackney is a North-East London borough in Inner London, England. The historical and administrative heart of Hackney is Mare Street, which lies 5 miles (8 km) north-east of Charing Cross. The borough is named after Hackney, its principal district. Southern and eastern parts of the borough are popularly regarded as being part of east London, with the northwest belonging to north London. Its population is 281,120 inhabitants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalston</span> Human settlement in England

Dalston is an area of East London, in the London Borough of Hackney. It is four miles northeast of Charing Cross. Dalston began as a hamlet on either side of Dalston Lane, and as the area urbanised the term also came to apply to surrounding areas including Kingsland and Shacklewell, all three of which being part of the Ancient Parish of Hackney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poplar, London</span> Area of East London, England

Poplar is a district in East London, England, now part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Five miles (8 km) east of Charing Cross, it is part of the East End.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shoreditch</span> Human settlement in England

Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stamford Hill</span> Area of Hackney, London

Stamford Hill is an area in Inner London, England, about 5.5 miles north-east of Charing Cross. The neighbourhood is a sub-district of Hackney, the major component of the London Borough of Hackney, and is known for its Hasidic community, the largest concentration of Hasidic Jews in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stepney</span> Human settlement in England

Stepney is a district in the East End of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The district is no longer officially defined, and is usually used to refer to a relatively small area. However, for much of its history the place name applied to a much larger manor and parish. Stepney Green is a remnant of a larger area of Common Land formerly known as Mile End Green.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoke Newington</span> Area in London, England

Stoke Newington is an area occupying the north-west part of the London Borough of Hackney in north-east London, England. It is five miles northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington the ancient parish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Borough of Hackney</span>

The Metropolitan Borough of Hackney was a Metropolitan borough of the County of London from 1900 to 1965. Its area became part of the London Borough of Hackney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Borough of Bethnal Green</span> Civil parish and metropolitan borough in London, England

Bethnal Green was a civil parish and a metropolitan borough in the East End of London, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Borough of Stoke Newington</span>

The Metropolitan Borough of Stoke Newington was a metropolitan borough in the County of London between 1900 and 1965 when it became part of the London Borough of Hackney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shacklewell</span> Human settlement in England

Shacklewell is a small locality to the east of Roman Ermine Street, in the London Borough of Hackney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoke Newington Common</span>

Stoke Newington was an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex. It was both a civil parish, used for administrative purposes, and an ecclesiastical parish of the Church of England.

Hornsey was an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex. It was both a civil parish, used for administrative purposes, and an ecclesiastical parish of the Church of England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hackney (parish)</span>

Hackney was a parish in the historic county of Middlesex. The parish church of St John-at-Hackney was built in 1789, replacing the nearby former 16th-century parish church dedicated to St Augustine. The original tower of that church was retained to hold the bells until the new church could be strengthened; the bells were finally removed to the new St John's in 1854. See details of other, more modern, churches within the original parish boundaries below.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hackney North (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885–1950

Hackney North was a parliamentary constituency in "The Metropolis". It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clapton Square</span> Garden square in Lower Clapton in the London Borough of Hackney

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St George in the East (parish)</span>

St George in the East, historically known as Wapping-Stepney, was an ancient parish, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, England. The place name is no longer widely used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hackney, London</span> Human settlement in England

Hackney is a district in East London, England, forming around two-thirds of the area of the modern London Borough of Hackney, to which it gives its name. It is 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Charing Cross and includes part of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Historically it was within the county of Middlesex.

References

  1. "Hackney: Newington and Stamford Hill - British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk.
  2. "Hackney: List of Churches | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk.
  3. Medieval London Suburbs, Kevin McDonnell, Phillimore Publishing, 1978 p 14
  4. Zeppelins: German Airships 1900-40, ISBN   978-1-84176-692-8
  5. "Alkham Road: The first Zeppelin bomb – Eastlondonlines". Eastlondonlines. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  6. London 1914-17, The Zeppelin Menace, Ian Castle, ISBN   978 1846032455
  7. "'Singing with people connects you': How four UK streets are living with lockdown". TheGuardian.com . 25 April 2020.
  8. Smith, Oliver (25 January 2018). "The Krays in London: 15 sites associated with the twins". The Telegraph.
  9. The London Encyclopaedia, 4th Edition, 1983, Weinreb and Hibbert
  10. Youngs, Frederic A, Jr. (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol.I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN   0-901050-67-9.
  11. Gelder, Sam (9 September 2019). "Stoke Newington historian surveys old street signs and calls for them to be protected". Hackney Gazette. Open Publishing. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  12. "Stoke Newington Common Hackney". www.hackney.gov.uk.
  13. "West Hackney Recreation Ground Hackney". www.hackney.gov.uk.